


Hurt and Exposed

by calie15



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 14:44:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1514261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calie15/pseuds/calie15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The secrecy of their relationship becomes insignificant when Jemma is still put in harms way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hurt and Exposed

Bucky stared silently out of the window of the hospital room. It was quiet for the most part. Behind him he could hear soft breathing and the random noises of machines. When he glanced back he looked at the IV drip and down at the pale face of the woman occupying the bed. 

There was a noise from outside the door and his head snapped around, his body tense. Nothing came, there was no danger, but he could see the agent outside the door glance back into the room, meeting his eyes. Bucky didn't have it in him for a contest of wills, he'd win anyway. He turned and returned to his seat by the bed. The same seat he had been occupying for almost an hour. If his calculations were correct then someone would be there any minute.

There was a soft whimper and he stood up immediately. His main concern at that moment was the woman in the bed. She winced in pain and turned her head from him. Bucky leaned over and cradled her cheek in order to guide it back to him. "Jemma."

The familiar voice coaxed her into opening her eyes, and immediately she regretted it. "The light."

He moved quickly to darken the room, leaving only a small light on. When he returned to her side she was looking up at him.

"What are you-. You can't be here," she forced out, but he sat on the bed and leaned over, pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips.

Bucky kept his face close to hers and again brought his one good hand up to caress her cheek. "Don't worry about that."

"But-."

"I don't care about that." He said more firmly and that time she remained silent. He suspected she wanted to say more though. She always did.

"I'm sorry," she began and tears stung her eyes. He looked at her in confusion. "I didn't mean to- I didn't want-. I'm sorry Bucky and now you're here and I'm a bloody mess."

"It's the drugs Jemma," he sat up slight and let his hand fall away, only to settle it on her opposite thigh. "You're not a mess, unless you count the ten stitches on your leg and the concussion." She said nothing, only blinked, forcing more tears down the side of her temples. He ran a thumb back and forth over her good thigh. She sighed finally and laid her cheek on the pillow and watched him drowsily. "I thought you'd be safe if no on knew."

"I work for SHIELD," she pointed out more calmly, "no one is safe."

"I'm seeing that now." There was talking outside the door which interrupted him from telling her his reformed decision on the status of their relationship. "In about four minutes someone you know is going to be bursting through that door wondering what I'm doing here and why I threatened the two agents outside."

"Bucky..." She moaned and closed her eyes. He grabbed her hand and she found herself looking up at him as he brought it to his lips. There was something different about him. Her drugged mind tried to make sense of it. The only conclusion she could come to was that her brush with death had changed something between them. He set her hand down, but continued to hold it in his larger one. Her eyes fluttered closed as she began to doze off again. 

The door opened suddenly and Bucky sighed as he reluctantly released her hand and slid off the bed.

"Sgt. Barnes."

"Agent Coulson."

Jemma opened her eyes to find herself staring at Bucky's back. The line of it was tense and it wasn't until she heard the small electronic sound of his arm beneath his jacket did she realize how worked up he really was. "Bucky, stop. This isn't necessary and you know it. Plus, My head hurts to bad for an argument. Agent Coulson, I'm fine, really."

"I'd have been more confident in that if my agents hadn't notified me that they'd been threatened within an inch of their life."

She whimpered softly with that knowledge and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Why don't we talk outside?" Phil said as he looked back at Bucky Barnes.

At the prospect of leaving the room Bucky looked unsurely down at Jemma. She opened her eyes and held her hand open, palm up, reaching for him. 

"I'll be fine," she said gently. He slid his hand into hers and his brow drew together in concern. Jemma had the impression he wanted to say more, but he wouldn't do so with an audience. "I promise."

"You promised before," he said without thinking and her eyes immediately look pained. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He shook his head. "I'll be right back." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and let it go to reluctantly walk away. 

A nurse walked passed him as he exited and he stopped in the hallway and looked into the small window, suddenly unsure about leaving Jemma unattended.

"She's fine."

Bucky turned to the voice and frowned. He'd be the judge of that, no one else.

"Go take a break," Phil said to the two agents. They nodded and walked off, leaving only the two of them. "How long has this been going on?"

Instinct told Bucky to lie, because that's what he had been doing the entire time. But he'd went into her hospital room, throwing caution to the wind. The time for lies were over. "Six months."

Phil groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Six months." He finally looked up. "Six months you two were able to keep this a secret."

"I'm good at it," he said and glanced into Jemma's room then back again. "It was for the best."

"She's to good for you," Phil said firmly. "I don't want to see her hurt."

"I'm aware of that," Bucky said without hesitation. "No one is going to hurt her, especially now."  
\--------

"Hey!"

Jemma turned at the sound of Skye's voice as she leaned into the doorway of the lab. 

"You'll never guess who's on board."

"Who?" Fitz asked, his face confused.

"Bucky Barnes," she said with excitement and turned away to hurry off.

Fitz met Jemma's eyes for a brief second, then he was running after Skye. Jemma stood there though, staring after them. It was only after a brief moment of shock that she followed them slowly, unsurely. 

When she found them she also found Bucky, an easy smile on his face placed there specifically to disarm everyone. May seemed less then impressed, but Skye and Fitz seemed to have fallen for it.

"Jemma."

She looked at Phil in confusion and tried to recall if Bucky had said anything to her the previous night, but nothing stuck out in her mind. The only thing that had troubled her was that he had seemed much to relaxed about her going off into danger again. "Yes sir."

"It seems Sgt. Barnes has been assigned to our team temporarily until we've completed our recovery of the alien specimens in Colombia." Phil raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for some time of reaction, but there was none.

"Yes sir," Jemma said as evenly as she could, avoiding Bucky's eyes.

"Alright, everyone out. We've got work to do."

Fitz and Skye scrambled. May eyed Phil's back suspiciously, but eventually she to left. Jemma waited for a moment, her eyes looking to Bucky finally, but then she also turned and left. A hand caught her elbow after a few feet and stopped her. "Don't," she snapped and spun on him.

He sighed. "Jemma-."

"You can't just-."

"Your team ill equipped Jemma. That's a fact." This time she stopped and stared up at him. Bucky took a step closer and slid his left hand to her back. She turned her head away from him and he frowned. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I stayed as far away as I could so no one knew, that was my mistake."

"It wasn't your fault," she argued, her anger beginning to dissipate. 

"Maybe not, but you're going back, again. Putting your life in danger, again. And let's face it, as fucked up as I am, I can make sure you and everyone else on your team gets out safe. Don't be angry with me, I just want to make sure you come back alive."

Jemma sighed, relenting. Then he smiled down at her, with that little smirk which reached his eyes. That little devilish grin is what had made her knees weak in the first place. This time Jemma rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Bucky took her chin in his finger and lowered his head. "It'll be fun."

Something crashed to the ground and Jemma turned to find Fitz, hand open as if something might have been in his grasp, a look of shock on his face. Skye stood there with her mouth gaping in a very unattractive manner. And May just watched them, never revealing a thing. Jemma sighed. Lips came down on her cheek and she looked back up at Bucky.

"Good luck," he whispered into her ear and stepped back, sliding his hand from her back.

Jemma watched him walk away and past the others, a charming smile on his face the entire time. When he was gone they were staring at her again.

"And here I thought you were a good girl," Skye said with a slow smile.

"I am!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Jemma," Skye reprimanded playfully. "That is a very, very bad boy."

Jemma could feel her cheeks begin to redden in response.


End file.
